Rachel Griffiths and her artist husband Andrew Taylor are selling their Palm Beach retreat and plan to eventually trade up their holiday digs to something with more land nearby.

Speaking exclusively to Title Deeds, Griffiths likened her charming sandstone cottage to her own Petit Trianon, the cottage of Queen Marie-Antoinette where she retreated from the rigours of court life in the 1770s.

"It's amazing to see the impression this place has on friends. Movie stars and incredibly rich people with these huge mansions come here and are blown away by this little place. It's as if they crave that simpler life, which is really what this place is about, except with the best, high-tech kitchen."

Memories: Property developer Vera Boyarsky has listed the family home at Kambala Road, Bellevue Hill with hopes of more than $8 million.

And ocean views, which also won't hurt the $2.5 million sale price.

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Title Deeds first heard whisper of the off-market listing in late May, which has only now been confirmed by LJ Hooker Palm Beach's David Edwards.

Griffiths is only the second owner of the original two-bedroom cottage, having bought it in 1998 for $735,000 from returned serviceman Fred Lyons and his wife Dulcie, who built it in the 1950-60s. Beautifully refurbished in 2009 by architect Robert Brown, it and the neighbouring retreat of architect Philip Cox are accessed through Annie Wyatt Reserve.

Trading up: Rachel Griffiths and husband Andrew Taylor are selling in Palm Beach but still want to stay in the area. Photo: Getty Images/AFP

"We could have just bulldozed it to build something bigger, as so many do, but the history of these old places is so important. These homes are full of happy memories of gloriously long summer days, and you can't build that. You don't get that for new."

Griffiths stressed she and her family are not cutting ties with Palm Beach, and plan to return to their usual summer stomping ground at Christmas. The only question being which house will be hosting them.

Sale of the year

A closer look at Edwards's dealings of reveals a few interesting sales of late, including a recent weekender purchase on Barrenjoey Road for $2.535 million by Mosman-based Amanda and Patrick Robinson, chief executive of rag trader Gazal Group.

And settlement records reveal what is so far the suburb's highest result this year at $7.6 million, again through Edwards, for the Iluka Road waterfront of Frank and Amber Elsworth.

The Elsworths haven't had to move far, having recently sold their home along the shoreline for $7.5 million to former Arrium chief Geoff Plummer.

Boyarsky says goodbye

Property developer Vera Boyarsky is downsizing from the family's long-held, Tudor-style home in Bellevue Hill, listing it with hopes of more than $8 million.

Boyarsky heads up Anka Property with her son Andrew, the company that was founded by her husband Alex in 1968 and takes credit for the Liberty Grove development in Homebush and more recently Union Balmain in Rozelle.

The 1920s-era residence with indoor pool and self-contained guest studio has been sympathetically updated over the past 30 years it has been the Boyarsky family home. Set on 923 square metres, it goes to auction on September 4 through Elliott Placks and Ashley Bierman, of Ray White Double Bay.

The listing coincides with the sale late last week by Elliott Placks and Dan White of the Point Piper estate of Charles and Maria Scarf for more than $30 million.

Neither agent would comment on the sale, so only settlement will reveal if it beats the $32.4 million non-waterfront record paid in the stronger market of 2008 for the former mansion Craig-y-Mor by Chinese princeling Zeng Wei and his wife Jiang Mei.

Wigmore's final encore?

Singer-songwriter Gin Wigmore looks like she's cut ties with Sydney judging by the recent sale of her Enmore home.

The New Zealand-born soulstress has pocketed $785,000 for her one-bedroom cottage within days of listing it.

Ed Tancred, of Raine & Horne Petersham, declined to comment, but the cool first home was purchased by Robbie and Ashley Fidler, of BresicWhitney personal assistant fame.

Wigmore sold her Marrickville home last September for $1.2 million, and her Darlinghurst apartment in 2011 for $575,000.

Allowah off the market

In Mosman, the Victorian Gothic-style mansion Allowah has sold. The 1881-era sandstone residence of Citibank's Tim Robinson and his wife Kirstine was last quoted with a price guide of $8.5 million-plus. After it came up sold on the Domain website on Monday, word spread it had sold above that level despite no comment from McGrath's Michael Coombs.

SSHHH: Guess which recently appointed senior television executive looks set to trade up his designer digs?